Today, our resident guest blogger – Adam – tells us all sorts of useful stuff about healthcare in Poland.

Let’s face it, things usually go very wrong in the least appropriate moments. This post will try to explain the basics of Polish healthcare system (just in case), and feed you some useful vocabulary along the way.

If you experience a sudden and serious health problem, when in Poland, you should call 112 (the Europe-wide emergency number), or the old number for health emergencies 999 (both work). Whether you will be charged for health services following an emergency will depend on a number of factors. One of which is health insurance (ubezpieczenie zdrowotne).

Assuming you are a citizen of a country other than Poland, there are three possibilities that may apply:
− if you are employed in Poland (osoba zatrudniona w Polsce), you are entitled to free state healthcare
− if you hold European Union citizenship (osoba posiadająca obywatelstwo UE), or are a citizen of Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, you are also entitled to free state healthcare, however for treatment (leczenie) beyond emergencies you should complete the E101 form, provided by state health insurer in the country of your residence
− if none of the above applies, you are not entitled to free state healthcare, excluding some emergencies.

If you are not in sudden and serious health danger, but you need/want doctor’s advice or treatment, there are many options available to you.

First of all, you have the choice to either use the state system or go private, as both systems work in parallel. NFZ, the national health service, issues quotas for doctors on number of free state procedures. Sometimes, therefore, free treatments/advice may mean that you have to stay on the waiting list for some time – from a week up to a few months. Usually, the same practices also offer private services, which typically won’t include any waiting, but you will have to get your wallet out.

For general advice, or for being referred to an appropriate specialist, you should go to internista (general practitioner), also called lekarz ogólny or lekarz rodzinny (family doctor). A person under the age of 18 would go to a pediatra (pediatrician). You may find them in a separate practice (gabinet, praktyka) or in a larger institution (gabinet, poradnia, przychodnia, or zakład opieki zdrowotnej).

Unless you are admitted to a hospital (szpital), you will have to buy prescribed medicines (przepisane lekarstwa, leki) yourself in a pharmacy (apteka). However, some drugs (for serious or long-term illnesses, like asthma, depression, heart disease, diabetes etc.) are funded in part by the state – for those who are insured.

If your health issue is more complicated, you will be referred to a specialist. For instance, endokrynolog – for hormonal problems, kardiolog – for heart problems, pulmunolog – for problems with the respiratory tract, etc. Unlike in some countries, in Poland they are widely available outside of hospitals – in their own practices, or in larger institutions (przychodnia, poradnia, gabinet, zakład opieki zdrowotnej). To see some of the specialists, if you prefer the state-funded option, you will need a written referral from your general doctor. This does not apply to okulista (for eye problems), dermatolog (for skin problems), ginekolog (gynecologist) or psychiatra (psychiatrist).

Any doctor could refer you for further diagnosis – medical analysis (analiza) of blood (krew), urine (mocz) or poo (stolec) and/or with the use of medical machinery (MRA, X-ray, etc.). Here, if you intend to use your state insurance, you need a written referral for any diagnostic procedure. Otherwise, you may have any diagnostic procedure you want.

Simple treatments are available both in private and state healthcare, however the more advanced or complicated the case, the more likely it is that there is no private option. For instance, most cases of cancer can only be treated using the state health service.

Vocabulary

• mieć ból (to have pain), boli mnie (I have pain)
• mieć ból głowy (to have headache), boli mnie głowa (my head aches)
• mieć ból brzucha (to have stomachache), boli mnie brzuch (my stomach aches)
• czuć się źle (to feel bad)
• mieć gorączkę (to have fever)
• mieć rozwolnienie (to have diarrhea)
• mieć ból serca (to have a pain in the heart, chest pain), boli mnie serce (I have a pain in my heart, chest pain)
• potrzebuję pomocy (I need help)
• wezwijcie lekarza (call a doctor, imperative form)
• wezwijcie pogotowie (call emergency, imperative form)

I hope you will not find this post useful 🙂